Isn't it a great feeling when you can take ownership in something? Whether it's something that you worked hard to earn, or something that you've wanted for a long time, once you get it, you can look at it and feel good about it. This is what Student Senate desires for each student here. We want you to look at Calvin and feel good about your decision to come here. We want you to feel like this is your place and that you have a say in what takes place here.

Believe it or not, administrators here at Calvin, as well as Student Senate, do want to hear from you. Amazing things have happened here already this year, and all it takes is one student with an idea for change and a strong desire to see it happen.

I want to remind you all of several ways that you can make your voice heard here at Calvin. Student Senate recently held a town hall meeting. A few of you came and expressed your concerns, which was great! We plan to hold another one in February for those of you who couldn't make this one. Also, if you open up KnightVision right now, you'll find a section there where you can grade the current smoking policy - we can't assess how it is going or what changes need to be made without your input. There is also now a Student Senate Discussion Board in KnightVision under the community tab. This is another place where you can voice your opinions in different discussion panels, and ideally, other students and administrators will then respond.

My pastor this week in church made a comment that could really apply to Calvin. ``We don't want to be perfect,'' he said, ``we just want to be excellent.'' Calvin is a wonderful place, but let's not settle with that, let's all try to make it as excellent as it possibly can be.

We cannot express to you how grateful we are to all of you students out there who have taken ownership of this place and made things happen. With the help of you all, here are some things we're working on this week: